14 Sports Sunday, December 20, 2020

Photo of the Day News in brief Premier League, beIN seal deal

LONDON: The Premier League and Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports have announced a TV rights deal worth a reported $500 million for the Middle East and North Africa region that will run until 2025. The agreement, for the 2022- 2025 rights cycle, means beIN, which has been the league’s broadcast partner since 2013, can show all 380 matches live each season across all 24 countries in the region. British newspaper reports said 19 of the 20 Premier League clubs supported the deal, with Newcastle the only club to vote against. Mike Ashley’s club are in a legal dispute with the Premier League over a failed takeover of the club by a Saudi-backed consortium. The bid attracted scrutiny due to the piracy of sports broadcast rights, including Premier League matches, and the state’s human rights record. The new TV deal will cover Saudi Arabia even though subscribing to beIN, the Arab world’s leading sports channel, has been difficult for Saudi fans since the kingdom’s 2017 boycott of Qatar. — AFP

Newcastle players struggling

LONDON: Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce says some of the club’s coronavirus victims are battling extreme exhaustion as they attempt to fight their way back to fitness. The Magpies will once again be without a number of unnamed Canoeist, Vavrinec Hradilek seen in Wanaka, New Zealand. - Photo taken from www.redbullcontentpool.com players for Saturday’s home match against Fulham as a result of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, which prompted the club to close their training ground at the end of last month. Defender Federico Fernandez and mid- fielder Isaac Hayden have returned to the fold in the past week but some of their team-mates have not been so fortunate. “We’ve had the full India slump to lowest ever score range,” said Bruce. “We’ve had vomiting, sores, mouth ulcers, no smell, no taste - but the big thing, of course, and which is the worrying thing, is the welfare of one or two or three of them. “It’s not great at all. We’re still going to be as Australia clinch opening Test weeks and that long-term COVID is something which you wouldn’t think possible in young, fit, Previous Test low was 42 against England in 1974 athletes. Unfortunately, it is so.” — AFP

ADELAIDE: A devastated India crashed to their Heinze named Atlanta coach lowest ever score of 36 yesterday as Australia ran riot to win the opening Test in Adelaide by eight LOS ANGELES: Atlanta United named former wickets after Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins Argentina international Gabriel Heinze as the produced a bowling masterclass. India started the team’s new head coach on Friday. The former third day of the pink-ball Test on nine for one and Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and with a 62-run lead, looking to build a competitive Real Madrid defender joins the Major League second innings total for the hosts to chase. Soccer side after a successful stint with But their hopes were left in tatters by a wicket Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield. “This is a milestone with bounce and deviation as Hazlewood took 5-8, moment in Atlanta United history, and we including his 200th Test wicket, and Cummins 4-21. couldn’t be more excited to welcome Gabriel as Wicketkeeper Tim Paine claimed five catches as the our next head coach,” Atlanta president Darren bowlers found the edge. “I didn’t expect it to come Eales said in a statement. “We cast the net that quick, I was expecting a real dogfight,” said widely for this important hire, and Gabriel skipper Paine. “To hang in, give our bowlers a quickly emerged as the No. 1 candidate. Gabriel chance, and then turn up and start the day the way is one of the top coaches in South American we did, full credit to our bowling attack again. soccer and we are delighted that he chose “It’s nice to get off to a good start. Chuffed with Atlanta United. “Whilst his resume speaks for the way we bowled in this Test.” itself, Gabriel’s playing philosophy and commit- It was an incredible Indian collapse, with no ment to youth development closely align with batsman reaching double figures during a capitu- our ideas at Atlanta United, and we are happy lation that lasted less than 22 overs, in contrast to to welcome him as we move into our club’s next their battling first innings’ 244. That included skip- chapter.”— AFP per Virat Kohli, who fell for four and now heads ADELAIDE: Australia’s Matthew Wade (center) plays a shot on the third day of the first cricket Test match home for the birth of his first child, leaving his stunned team to face three more Tests, starting in between Australia and India in Adelaide yesterday. — AFP Melbourne on Boxing Day, without him. Ajinkya Women’s nordic combined event Rahane will assume the captaincy. “It’s very hard In trouble which Cummins picked up the massive wicket of to put those feelings into words,” said a disconso- Cummins wasted no time removing nightwatchman Kohli. The superstar batsman had smacked Cummins RAMSAU AM DACHSTEIN: Tara Geraghty- late Kohli. Jasprit Bumrah for two in the second over of the day, for four but was gone the next ball after a review, Moats made history on Friday when she won “We had a lead of 60-odd when we arrived, and temping him to push at a slower ball that popped back caught by debutant Cameron Green as he attempted the first ever World Cup women’s nordic com- then just collapsed. We played two days of good up to him. That brought the stubborn Cheteshwar a cover drive. bined skiing event, held in Ramsau am cricket to get in a position and then just lose it in an Pujara to the crease. He saw off an over from Cummins, At 19 for six, India were in real danger of making Dachstein, Austria. American Geraghty-Moats, hour. It really hurts.” India’s previous Test low was but that was as good as it got for the veteran who fell their lowest ever score and when Wriddhiman Saha (4) who was in sixth place following the morning’s 42 against England at Lord’s in 1974. Their 36 was without scoring. chipped a Hazlewood delivery to Marnus Labuschagne ski jump, finished in first place ahead of the joint fourth lowest of all time, with New Cummins, the world’s number one Test bowler, and Ravi Ashwin was out next ball it became a reality. Norway’s Gyda Westvold Hansen and Japanese Zealand’s 26 facing England in 1955 at Auckland the sent down a delivery that had to be played and Pujara A four from Hanuma Vihari spared them some shame, skier Anju Nakamura after the five-kilometer worst ever. The carnage left Australia, who scored caught an edge that carried to wicketkeeper Paine. It taking India past New Zealand’s all-time low. But cross-country race. “Today here in Ramsau was 191 in the first innings, needing 90 to win, with out- left India on 15 for three, and it only got worse with Vihari (8) didn’t last much longer, caught by Paine with a dream come true, it was something that I was of-form Joe Burns hitting a confidence-building 51 opener Mayank Agarwal back in the pavillon five Hazlewood again doing the damage to complete an thinking about since I was 10 years old,” said not out, including a six to win the match. Matthew balls later for nine, again caught by Paine on excellent five-wicket haul, before Mohammed Shami the 27-year-old. “I just kept telling myself I Wade made 33 and Marnus Labuschagne six with Hazlewood’s opening delivery. Hazlewood and Paine was forced to retire hurt after a Cummins thunderbolt could do it... huge thanks to my team and the Steve Smith not out one. again combined to get rid of Rahane for nought, after hit his right arm.— AFP FIS (International Ski Federation) for finally inviting the women to the big leagues.” Nordic combined skiing had been an exclusively male sport at the top level before this season, but is now open to female athletes. Women will also compete in the discipline at this year’s Nordic World Ski Championships, which are being held in Oberstdorf, Germany, between February 23 and March 7.— AFP

Suter kicks off defense with win

VAL-D’ISERE: Switzerland’s Corinne Suter started the defense of her World Cup downhill title with an impressive victory in Val d’Isere on Friday, edging out . The 26-year- old Suter, who claimed both the downhill and super-G globes last season, beat Goggia in the first downhill of the campaign by just 0.11 sec- onds. American Breezy Johnson was only nine hundredths of a second further back in third place, claiming her first ever podium finish on the circuit. Two-time downhill world champion Ilka Stuhec had to settle for fourth. It was Suter’s third career World Cup win after one in each of after defeating Fatat Club player Shahad Al-Enezi 3-0. There were 42 participants in the refresher tourna- the speed events earlier this year. “I skied really Women Open Table Meanwhile Hawraa Asad from Fatat Club won third place ment from Arabi Salwa Al-Sabah, Fatat and Fatayat Al- well at the top of the course and in the middle after defeating Kifaya Al-Uwairdhi 3-2. The Final match- Oyoun clubs. Khalid Al-Khudhari lauded the level of part, much better than in training,” said Suter, es were held at Salwa Al-Sabah Club hall and was many players, as the competition was very strong in who came close to having a leg amputated fol- Tennis tournament attended by Deputy Chairman of Table Tennis Federation the final rounds. He thanked Salwa Al-Sabah Board of lowing a blood infection in June 2018. “I took more direct lines. I felt a lot of pressure for this By Abdellatif Sharaa Khalid Al-Khudhari, technical director Sabri Jamaan, Directors and Chairwoman Naeema Al-Ahmad for administrative director Ahmad Al-Qallaf and chairwoman hosting the tournament. Chairwoman of KTTS women first downhill of the season, but I’m really happy to have finished the race like that.”— AFP KUWAIT: The women Open Table Tennis tournament of the women committee Khalida Al-Ali. The officials committee Khalida Al-Ali said she is happy with the was won by Arabi Club’s player Minwah Al-Shimmari awarded the winners with their cups and prizes. tournament (the first in 2020-2021 season).